


"Don’t worry about it doll"

by Legends_Never_Die



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Boyfriends, Bullying, Dancing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Secret Relationship, Shy Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legends_Never_Die/pseuds/Legends_Never_Die
Summary: When the rouge Avengers are welcomed back to the tower, a certain solider takes and interest in Tony Stark's latest intern.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 59
Kudos: 533





	1. Welcome Back

“I can’t wait Mr. Stark! Is Cap really strong enough to hold a helicopter? Do you think could shoot a moving car from a mile away? I bet he could! It black widow going to-“ 

“Jesus! Calm down kid!” Tony chuckled at the small teen who was absolutely bouncing off the walls. “You don’t want to scare them back into hiding.” 

“Yeah! Yeah! Sorry!” Peter said but continued to practically vibrate with excitement. The Avengers were all finally coming back to the compound! Peter had only met some of them briefly in Germany but now he was going to meet his heroes for real! Tony and Steve had come to some sort of agreement, Peter hadn’t really payed attention to what Tony had said. He was too excited as the prospect of being housemates with the famous Avengers! 

Tony and Peter were down in Tony’s lab. They worked there together often. After Tony had found out Peter was spider-man, the two had become very close. The inventor even became one of Peter’s legal guardians, along with May. The young boy stayed at the compound very often and the two had become very close. 

“Do you think they will like me Mr. Stark?” Peter spoke up again. 

Tony looked up from the models he had been working on. “Of course kid. Why wouldn’t they?” 

“I don’t know. I was just wondering.” 

Tony put his tools down and turned his full attention to his kid. “Are those kids at school giving you a hard time again? If they are I swear to god I’ll-“ 

“No no!” Peter interrupted. The boy refused to look Tony in the eye as he swung his feet back and forth in his chair. “I’m fine M-Mr. Stark.” 

Tony looked as though he didn’t believe him but was cut off by the sound of FRIDAY’s voice, “Sorry to interrupt Sir but the Avengers have arrived in the tower.” 

Peter jumped to his feet, a smile immediately coming back to his face. “Let’s go! Hurry Mr. Stark!” He said, rushing to the elevator. Tony smiled as he followed the excited teen. 

\--

“Well if it isn’t America’s favorite pretty boy.” Tony smirked as he walked up to Steve. 

“How’ve you been Tony.” The solider said with a fond smile. 

“Better than you. How was running from the law?” The millionaire said as he shook the captain’s hand. 

“It was exciting but I’m ready to settle down. Live the simple life.” He chuckled to himself. 

Tony greeted the rest of the group of ex-criminals, now heroes. After he shook the last familiar had he realized he didn’t see Peter anywhere. The man turned around and smiled, seeing the boy standing nervously near the elevator doors. ‘Poor kid.’ He thought. The group must have been quite intimidating. 

“Peter.” Tony called out, making all the Avengers look over at him. Most of them offer a warm smile, all but Bucky who had been staring at the ceiling the whole time, and Natasha. “Come here kid.” 

Peter walked forward, his face completely red. He stood next to his mentor who put a hand on his shoulder. “Peter, these are the rest of the Avengers. Avengers, this is Peter Parker. He’s my personal intern.” 

“H-hi.” Peter mumbled, getting an even darker shade of red. 

Clint stepped forward to introduce himself first. He had always had a soft spot for kids. “Hey buddy! My name’s Clint.” 

Peter looked up to meet his eyes and smiled, “Wow! Y-your Hawkeye!” He burst out before shrinking back into himself.

Clint let out a loud barking laugh. “I sure am! Nice to meet you Peter.” 

Peter was introduced to all of them in a similar manner until Bucky stepped up. Bucky still hadn’t bothered to look at the kid nor had he listened to anything anyone had said. 

“H-hi. I’m Peter. You’re the Winter Solider right?” Peter spoke up first when it was clear the older man would say nothing. Bucky just nodded and kept staring at the ceiling fan. 

“That’s so cool! Your arm in amazing!” Peter gushed excitedly.

Bucky finally looked down at the shorter teenager and- shit. The kid was gorgeous. His face was completely red from the embarrassment and excitement he was going through. He was practically bouncing up and down with uncontrollable energy. Peter was absolutely adorable. 

Bucky’s uninterested solider appearance quickly faded into the dashing gentlemen he used to be in the 40’s. 

“Thanks doll. Where did you say you were from?” Bucky said flashing a smile. 

Peter seemed taken aback at first but blushed impossible more before responding, “Q-Queens. What about you Mr. Barnes?’ 

Bucky had a few unholy thoughts at the professional name Peter used for him but managed to pull himself together enough to answer, “Indiana. You like New York sweetheart?” 

Before Peter could reply, Tony stepped in. It was only then when Peter realized that all of the Avengers had been watching the exchange with their mouths open. The normally cold Bucky had been practically flirting with someone. He had even cracked a smile. Steve especially was shocked. His best friend hadn’t grinned in so long. 

Tony had been amused at first but when the older man called Peter sweetheart, he decided to step in. “I’m not sure what this is but its over now. We’ve got stuff to do Pete. Let’s go to the lab.” 

Peter quickly shuffled after his mentor but not before he sent a small smile towards the winter solider. 

\---

A week later, everyone had settled into a new routine. The returned Avengers had unpacked their rooms, Tony had reinstated their weekly movie night, and Sam made amazing pancakes almost every morning. 

Peter loved having the tower so busy. It felt to him like he finally had a big family full of aunts and uncles and… well… Bucky. 

Peter hadn’t been able to keep the older man out of his mind. His cold mysterious eyes flashed through the teen’s brain more often than he would like to admit. He had seen very little of the solider since he had moved in; due in part to Peter’s busy schedule and partially to the threatening looks Mr. Stark would give the solider whenever he got near the young genius.

Similarly, Bucky Barnes could not stop thinking about the intern. He was so adorably shy and excitable, and Bucky wanted nothing more than to hold him in his arms and never let go. The solider hadn’t felt this way since the 40’s when he had been able to sweep women off their feet day and night. He used to be a lady’s man, a charming gentleman, but since then he had turned cold. He had seen war and had his brain manipulated. It had been years since he smiled the way he did when he thought about Peter. 

Both heroes silently pinned over each other. Peter was worried the older man didn’t actually like him while Bucky himself just didn’t want to be hunted by Ironman. Again. 

The quiet longing continued for a long time until Tony was called out of town because of a major issue with one of the STARK distributers. Bucky saw this as his chance to talk to the teen. He knew the boy would be in his room most likely doing homework or something of that nature. He seemed to have a lot of homework Buck had noticed. 

The solider made his was to the North Wing where Tony and Peter’s rooms were. Before he could get there, he was stopped by his best friend. Steve stepped out in front of him, blocking his path. 

“Are you sure about this Buck?” Steve said his eyes seemed a bit worried. 

“What do you mean?” Bucky asked, pretending to act dumb.

“Really James?” Steve said, almost smirking, “I know your going to talk to the kid. Are you sure about this?” 

“Calm down Steve. I’m just going to talk to him. He seems like a nice kid.” Bucky replied, trying to step around the super solider but failing. 

“I saw the way you were looking at him.” Steve continued. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, by him or Tony if he ever found out.” Steve said, placing a comforting hand on the other man’s shoulder. 

“I know, I know” Bucky shrugged off the hand. “I’m just gonna get to know him.” He said. 

Steve looked as though he wanted to continue but Bucky was already in the elevator up to Peter’s room. 

\---

Peter heard a knock at his door. He stood up to answer, not knowing who it could be. Mr. Stark was out of town and none of the other Avengers came to visit him in his room. He slid off his bed and pulled open the door. When he did, he almost jumped back in surprise, The Winter solider was standing there, tall, glorious, and handsome as ever. Peter stood in his doorway, just staring up at him. 

Bucky let out a small chuckle, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” He said with a wink. 

“Y-yeah? No. I mean yes O-OF COURSE!” Peter stuttered over his words. The teen whirled around and frantically began throwing clothes from the floor and bed into the dirty clothes bin. “S-sorry its such a mess! I meant to clean it, but I had a bunch of homework and, I wasn’t like procrastinating or anything! I-I just was doing a Lego thing with Ned, and Oh! Ned! He’s my best friend. He hasn’t been to the tower yet b-but I think he will. Mr. Stark said he could. But s-sometimes Mr. Stark says I need to work more and build Legos less whatever that means, and-“ 

Bucky stood on green hulk carpet as he watched the adorable boy rant nervously as he tried to get his room in order. 

“But Mr. Stark also s-says that I should have fun but not two much fun because he thinks I’ll drink or something, but I haven’t drank anything yet. It’s okay though, I’m not like an idiot or anything but I just don’t have time to go to parties, not that I’m invited. God I sound like such a looser-“

Peter was cut off when Bucky finally stepped forward, placing a hand on his arm. 

“Jesus, calm down kid. You don’t need to clean your room for me. Don’t stress.”

“Sorry” Peter mumbled, turning a bit red “Sometimes I start ranting and I just can’t stop.”

“Don’t worry about it doll, it’s cute.” The older man said, and the kid fucking giggled. God, Bucky was so far gone. 


	2. What do you want Barnes?

Peter tapped his foot nervously against the cement floor in the lab. He was supposed to be developing a new formula for his web shooters, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Bucky. He and the solider had spent the entire day together yesterday. Peter felt as though he could really be himself. He felt like Bucky actually cared about who he was and what he wanted. He treated him like a real person. 

The only issue was that Tony had made it abundantly clear that he did not approve of his intern spending so much time with the ex-hydra solider. He had been gone yesterday. But surely FRIDAY would have tattled on him? 

Peter tried to keep working the web shooters again but his brain continued to wonder. Luckily, a distraction came minutes later in the form of James Buchanan Barnes. 

“Hey, Stark.” Bucky grunted in greeting. 

“What do you want Barnes?” Tony said, not even looking up from his suit. “Come for a social call?” 

“Nope. I’m here for strictly business reasons.” Bucky said. He chanced a quick look over to the teenager and offered a small smile. Peter absolutely melted at this to the point that he dropped the wrench he had been using and hit his head on his desk as he bent down to pick it up. Bucky chuckled at the boy. He really was adorable. 

“And what exactly do you need?” Tony said, finally looking up but only to stare intently at the interaction between the two. Sure, Tony knew that Peter had the right to date or flirt with whoever he wanted. He was 17 after all, and Tony wasn’t even his real dad. But it didn’t sit right with him that Bucky was so much older. If it was up to Tony, Peter would stay as the sweet little innocent boy who love to curl up and watch Star Wars with his mentor. 

“There’s something stuck in the gears of my arm. Near the elbow.” Bucky said as he pushed himself up to a sitting position on the table. 

“I-I can help with that.” Peter said and hurried over to grab his tools.

“No Pete. I’ve got this one.” Tony said, getting up as well. “How about you go up to the training room and spar with Nat.” 

“But-” Peter tried to argue. 

“No buts Underoos. You need a break. Scram.” He teased fondly as Peter scurried out of the room. The smiled faded from the inventor’s face as he turned to the ex-assassin sitting in his lab. Tony said nothing and instead grabbed some tools and started adjusting different blots and screws in Bucky’s arm, taking no care to be gentle. 

“Easy there Stark.” Bucky said when Tony tugged on a wire particularly close to his actual arm. 

“So.” Tony said, not listening to Bucky’s plea. “You seem to be hanging around my intern quite a bit.” He didn’t look up from his work.

“I guess. He’s a nice guy.” 

“A nice guy who is half your age and basically a son to me.” Tony replied. 

Bucky didn’t say anything in response. He knew better than to get on Stark’s bad side so soon after then had been allowed back into the tower. 

The pair sat in silence far a while until Tony finished his work. Bucky had hoped to have Peter be the one working on his arm. That was the reason the solider had shoved a chunk of metal into the arm in the first place. Oh well he would have to think of another plan to get some alone time with the boy. He wondered if he could convince F.R.I.D.A.Y. to help keep a meeting between them a secret?

“You’re done Barnes. Now get out of here.” Tony said, half joking and half serious. 

Bucky grunted a thanks and made his way to the elevator. 

“I mean it Bucky.” Tony said, giving him a hard stare. “Stay away from my kid.” 

“Of course.” The soldier said in a low voice just as the elevator doors closed. 

\--

The next few days were busy for Peter. Tony seemed to be giving him more and more work. He did more than just work on his suit, but helped Tony develop a new formula, trained with Natasha and Sam, cleaned his lab space, and went on patrol. The teen wasn’t complaining though. He loved working with the genius inventor. He just wished he had more time to spend with Bucky.

In addition to missing the company of the older man, Peter was exhausted. It was finally Sunday morning and Peter had planned to stay in bed all day. He had been somewhat successful so far. He slept in until 11 am and had started watching Star Wars. It was going to be a good day. 

Peter let out a sigh when he heard a knock on the door. He hoped he wasn’t need for anything. Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of bed and opened the door. To his surprise, there was no one there. He looked down and saw a single red rose with a note attached to it. He picked it up and was in messy dark handwriting, “Meet me on the roof at 6. Don’t tell Tony. See you there doll.” 

It had to be from Bucky! The man wanted to see him again! Was it a date? It couldn’t be could it? Did Bucky actually like him? What if Tony found out?

A million questions raced through the teen’s head as he read and reread the not over and over again. His plans for the day were instantly forgotten and all he could think about was his evening with the Winter Solider. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMK what you think and if you have any suggestions!!


	3. "Can I kiss you?"

“uggggh!” Peter said, slamming his brush back onto the bathroom counter. He had been trying to fix his hair for the last 20 minutes, but it wouldn’t stop sticking up all over the place. All he was trying to do was do a simple swoop from left to right but apparently the universe hated him because he couldn’t even complete this simple task.

Peter checked his phone. Shoot! It was already 6:50. He needed to get going if he was going to be there on time.

The teen threw on his blue midtown shirt and jeans, forgetting to grab a sweatshirt or coat. Peter looked himself up and down in the mirror one last time. This was as good as it was going to get. He ran out the door.

\--

Bucky looked over his work one last time. He had laid out a picnic blanket, complete with candles and a large array of food. He wanted to make this perfect for the teen. Peter was already so perfect himself and he deserved a nice evening.

Bucky hoped no one would find them on the roof of the tower. He had talked to F.R.I.D.A.Y. who had agreed that the pair were not doing anything wrong and the AI would not tell anyone about there whereabouts unless they were in danger.

The ex-solider straightened the collar of his leather jacket just as the door to the top of the tower slammed open. Before Bucky could even open his mouth, Peter was already speaking a mile a minute.

“I’m sorry I’m late Mr. Barnes! I was taking the elevator up to the roof but then Tony got on the elevator too and he asked where I was going so I said to the living room so I had to get off at that floor and I was to scared to take the elevator again because I didn’t want to run into him so I had to take the stairs and there were 23 flights to get up here! But I’m here! Sorry.” Peter mumbled through his story, face completely red.

“Don’t worry about it doll.” Bucky said with a small chuckle. “All that matters is that you are here.”

Peter smiled as well. He then noticed the picnic that the older man had set out for them. His mouth fell open. “Y-you did this for m-me?” He couldn’t believe it. Bucky had a reputation for being cold and distant. Before actually meeting the man Peter never would have believed the avenger could be such a romantic.

“Of course.” Bucky said taking a seat on the blanket and motioning for Peter to do the same. “I didn’t know what kind of food you liked so I went with sandwiches. Is that okay?”

“Y-yeah. Great.” Peter said.

The two began eating and talking. Bucky had really thought of everything tonight. He found out that Peter’s favorite dessert was chocolate cake and had gotten 2 huge slices of that. In addition, he had cheesy romantic music playing in the background. Peter was absolutely in love.

Wait! No. he wasn’t in love. He couldn’t be right? He had only known the man for a few weeks. Not only that but Peter wasn’t even sure that Bucky was interested in him. Sure, he had set up this date, but did he actually LIKE Peter like that? The teen wasn’t sure.

“Are you alright? You got very quiet.” Bucky said. He was concerned that he was coming on too strong. He had been out of the dating game for so long and didn’t want to mess up.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just a bit n-nervous.” Peter said, running his hand through his already messy hair.

“Don’t be.” Bucky said. He reached out and grabbed Peter’s other hand that was resting on his lap.

Peter smiled back before looking away. They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Peter had startled shivering and Bucky’s immediately draped his large leather jacket over the teen’s small frame. It smelled just like the older man and the spiderling absolutely loved it.

Their silence was broken when the music playing behind them changed from a show pop song to an old timey brass band playing a slow dancing song.

“I think I know this song.” Peter said. “It was in a WWII documentary we had to watch in school. I love the trumpet.” The teen closed his eyes and swayed back and forth from his spot on the ground.

“Would you care to join me in a dance?” Bucky said, standing up and offering his metal hand to Peter.

“I would love to.” Peter said with a slight giggle. Bucky helped him to his feet, like the gentleman he is, then elegantly spun him into his arms, one hand on Peter’s waist and the other holding the small boys own hand.

Peter was not the best dancer, so he was happy to let Bucky lead them. They swayed back and forth slowly to the rhythm of the song.

“I used to love this song.” Bucky said as he pulled Peter even closer until their cheeks where touching. “It was the last song I danced to before I left for the war.”

“I forget sometimes. That you were alive back then.” Peter said. “Not that you are old! I just mean that-” Peter said, realizing what he said could be an insult.

Bucky just laughed it off. “I forget sometimes too.”

Peter just hummed in acknowledgment

“You make me feel like I’m in the good old days again.” Bucky said. He pulled Peter back and spun him around again, making the teen giggle. “You make me feel like I’m not an ex-assassin. Like I’m normal. Ya know?”

Peter nodded against Bucky’s chest before saying, “Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y? Can you play ‘you make me feel so young’ by Frank Sinatra?”

The song started playing and Bucky chuckled again. Peter loved the way he could feel the man’s chest vibrate against his head when he laughed. “I love this song too.”

As they continued to dance, Bucky began to softly sing the words into Peter’s ear.

Peter was completely gone for this man. He knew that earlier he had said it was too soon for him to be in love but, damn. He was pretty close to it.

The song started to come to an end and the two men were close. Very close.

“Can I kiss you?” Bucky whispered so softly that Peter practically didn’t hear.

The teen only nodded. He felt the taller man lean down and place his ruff lips against Peter’s soft pink ones. Peter’s heart skipped a beat. He felt like he did when he was swinging through the city. He felt like his heart was flying out of his chest and the only thing there to ground him was James Buchanan Barnes’s hands holding onto his waist.

They pulled away moments later and for once, Peter was speechless.

“This it the first time I’ve seen you at a loss for words.” Bucky smirked.

Peter didn’t reply. Instead he grabbed the collar of Bucky’s shirt and pulled him down for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter!!! LMK what you think of this one!


	4. I don't get jealous

Several weeks went by and Peter and Bucky were both completely in love with each other. They were now officially together though no one else knew. Well, Natasha probably knew but that was because she knew everything. As long as Tony and Steve didn’t find out how involved they were with each other then they were fine. 

Every night, Peter would sneak into Bucky’s room through the vents in the wall . The teen hadn’t had any nightmares since he began sleeping with the older man’s arms wrapped around him. 

Bucky had begun picking Peter up from school. He would tell the others that the was going for a run. He wasn’t completely lying. He did run. He ran to Midtown Highschool and walked his boyfriend back to the tower. 

They both relished in these stolen moments together.  Peter wished they could  be together  more openly but knew that Tony would  loose his mind if he knew. Oh well. He would just have to be happy with  the little time they could have. 

Things became more difficult  the longer they were together . There were several near instances of them getting caught. 

One time, Peter and  Bucky had been talking  in one of the  work out rooms. Well, it started out as talking. Peter an d Bucky had been making out in the work out room.  Bucky had the  smaller boy pressed against the wall just as Clint walked in. Luckily ,  he had been staring at his phone which had given the love birds a  chance to quickly separate and straighten their clothes. 

Another close call had been  when Peter had been  working on his suit in the lab. Bucky had been  sitting on the counter of  his work space talking with the  spiderling .  F.R.I.D.A.Y. had announced the entrance of Tony just before he walked in and allowed Bucky to quickly duck down under the desk. He had to hide there until Tony went to  go get food which wasn’t for  three more hours. 

Yeah. Their relationship was complicated but they both loved every second they were together. 

Unfortunately , their chaotic relationship was going to get even more so. And it was all caused by Tony’s new intern,  Alex Brenden.

Bucky hated the Alex. The boy had taken a liking to Peter  from the moment he was  hired.  It wasn’t like he was a bad kid though. He was very smart and nice and radiated confidence.  Peter had quickly become friends with him and they worked together on several projects. Bucky did  not approve through. He saw  that Alex wanted more than friendship,  and that Peter was completely oblivious. He just thought he found a new friend. 

One night , when Peter and the solider were lying in bed together ,  Bucky was in a particularly bad mood. Peter had invited Alex to the  A venger’s movie night. Bucky had watched as the little devil won over all the heroes with his stupid smile. And Bucky could n’t even say anything as the boy  sat  waaay to close to Peter. The  others couldn’t find out. 

Bucky hadn’t really been listening  to his boyfriend  as he had excited ly chattered on about his day while they laid in bed together . What  _ did  _ catch his ear was the mention of the name Alex. 

“And then Alex and I went to  get lunch and tried this weird chicken  and it was too spicy then we went to the lab and we-” Pete r ram bled on but was  interrupted by the solider. 

“You and Alex seem to be spending a lot of time together.” He said coldly, looking up at the celling. 

“Y-yeah. It’s nice having another  high schooler around.” Peter said, slightly taken aback by the tone of the other man. 

“I bet. Must be nice to have someone who is actually your age around.”

“What does that mean?” Peter said, sitting up and turning his full attention to his boyfriend who was still  faking  disinterest. 

“It doesn’t mean anything.” 

“A-are you jealous?” Peter asked in  disbelief . 

“I don’t get jealous.” Bucky said, finally sitting up. “What I  _ do _ get , is mad when I have to sit on the couch and watch as some little fucker  is trying to get with my boyfriend. I get mad when I hear the rest of the Avengers taking about when you two are finally going to get together. I get mad that we can’t be together.” 

Peter tried to calm the older man. “We a-are together-” He tried to comfort him but Bucky was just getting started. 

“And  apparently you don’t even notice that he is flirting with you.” 

“He’s just being friendly.” Peter said, scooting a little farther away from the  angry solider. 

“ Oh, you seriously can’t be that  dumb, can you? You act like such a child. The guy is trying to get with you Peter! And there’s nothing I can do about it!” Buc ky  finally  finished . He looked up to see tears streaming down the face of the very person he had been trying to protect. 

“If I’m such a dumb k-kid then I'll just l-leave you alone.” Peter said with a sniffle and got up to leave. 

“Wait doll, I’m sor-” Bucky tried to apologize but Peter had already rushed out of his room . 

“Shit” Bucky said to himself. He had really messed up.

\--

Bucky knocked on Peter’s door later that night. In  his  hand was a dark red rose he had brought as a piece offering for the other boy. 

“Pete? Can I come in?” He said softly as to not wake the other Avengers on their floor that were no doubt asleep already. 

“Y-yeah.” Peter said a second later. Bucky’s heard broke when her heard the tell-tale signs that Peter had been crying again. All he wanted was to make the beauti ful creature he was in love with happy. And he had failed. 

He slowly opened the door and saw Peter curled up in a bunch of blankets on his bed. Bucky went over and  sat near him , but not too close so he didn’t pressure the younger boy. 

“I’m so sorry baby doll. You were right. I was jealous and I just hated watching Alex get so close to you. Most of all I hated that he could be with you without Tony or the others freaking out. I was jealous that you two have the potential for a normal relationship.” Bucky confessed then offe red the rose. “I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t want to be w-with Alex. I love  _ you _ .” Peter said before covering his mouth in surprise. Both boys knew that they loved the other but  neither had actually  spoken those words out loud. 

Bucky gently reached his metal hand up and pulled Peter’s own away from his mouth. He replaced the boy’s fingers with his lips in a soft sweet kiss. 

“I love you to o darlin’. So much.” He said before kissing Peter again. 

That night as Peter laid curled up against Bucky, chest slowly rising and falling in sleep, the solider felt like the luckiest man alive. Sure, they had had their first fight but it hadn’t been too bad. And it had resulted in them saying they loved each other for the first time. Bucky did love him. A lot. And he would do everything he could to prove it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know what you think! I will also take requests if anyone has any ideas on what should happen!


	5. Bullies

“Are you stupid or something Parker?” Peter heard as he was slammed into a locker yet again.  He felt a new bruise beginning to form on his back. At least is wasn’t his face, he thought. He could easily cover these injuries. 

“Answer the question Parker?” Flash sneered at him,  delivering a punch to the gut that caused Peter to keel over in pain. 

“How long are you going to keep this lie up? You really think we believe you work with Tony Stark?” Another  hit , this time to the face . “You’re so pathetic.” A kick to the ribs. 

Peter eventually stopped fighting back . He just lay motionless on the floor, taking the blows while Flash and his friends laughed.  Eventually, like Peter knew they would, they got bored and left to go cause trouble elsewhere. 

Peter groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. He reached a hand to his cheek and sighed. He could already feel the swelling and knew  both Tony and Bucky were going to demand a name. Peter couldn’t give it to them though. He knew if Flash left Peter alone, he would start beating on some other kid. Some kid without super healing. It was better Peter deal with the abuse than  someone else. 

Peter bent down to grab his backpack and s aw it lying on the ground, ripped in half. Great. Another  thing he had to worry about. The teen bent down and began grabbing all his book . He looked up, surprised, when another set of  hand began to help him gather his stuff. A set of  hands , one normal and one metal to be exact. 

“You broke another backpack? I think you’ve got to many books in there.” Bucky chuckled as he gathered all of Peter’s things  in one arm. 

Peter kept his head down. It was clear his boyfriend hadn’t noticed his bruised body. The man grabbed Peter’s hand with his free one and the two began walking down the deserted halls to the exit of the school. 

“What took you so long today? I was waiting outside for  over half  an hour.” Bucky asked after Peter remained si lent for so long. 

Peter didn’t have a chance to reply because Bucky had  stepped forward to open the door like the gentleman he is  and, in the process, had gotten a full view of Peter’s face. The  soldiers face turned cold instantly. Just staring at the dark purple  marks scattering his face. 

“ Who did it.” Bucky asked. Voice as cold as his eye had become. 

“I-It’s not h ing Buck. P-please just-” 

“Who. Did. It.” He said again. 

“It...” Peter said debating whether to tell him or not. As much as he hated Flash, he didn’t want him dead and by the way his boyfriend looked now, Bucky might  actually kill the guy. On the other hand, Bucky would probably find out one way or another. 

“Can we t-talk about it at t-the tower?” Peter asked softly, turning his eyes down.

Bucky didn’t respond for a moment but after a few seconds, turn and started walking towards their home. Peter followed close behind him, he ad and eye still down. 

Bucky was mad at him. Peter could tell. It was all his fault really. He was Spider-man! He should be stronger. Bucky didn’t want some stupid teenage boyfriend who could even stand up against some high school bully. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Peter broke the silence, eyes  beginning to water a bit. Bucky  whirled around at the broken sound of the boy.

“What? Why are you sorry?” Bucky said, pulling Peter to the side so they wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the busy New York sidewalk. Peter started to respond but burst into tears. 

“Hey. It’s okay doll. Let’s just get you back to the tower okay?”  Bucky said, pulling Peter to his side and  allowing the boy to hide his face in the man’s jean jacket.  Bucky knew Peter hated crying, especially in public so he did his best to shield his boyfriend from the eyes of the world as they began to walk. Luckily, in New York no one seemed to notice nor care about what other people were doing so they didn’t get many strange glances. 

They eventually made it to the tower and  Bucky kept his arm firmly around Peter’s waist instead of letting go like he normally did  in case any of the Avengers were watching  nearby . 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y?” Bucky called to the AI as he and Peter entered the elevator. “Can you take us to the  residential floors? And don’t tell anyone we are here.”

F.R.I.D.A.Y. agreed and Bucky  murmured his thanks. He needed some alone time with Peter without anyone  interrupting them. 

They finally made it to  Peter's room.  Bucky sat on the large bed and Peter immediately crawled into his lap. They stayed silent for a while, Peter trying to control his breathing and Bu cky rubbing circles into his back. 

“I’m s-sorry.” Peter said again, so softly that the other man almost didn’t hear it. 

“Why? You have nothing to be sorry about love.” Bucky said again , wiping the new tears from Peter’s cheeks. 

“Y-you seemed m-mad , and I-I'm sorry I’m not s-stronger.” Peter whimpered. 

Bucky had seen a lot of sadness and  despair through his  life, but this was perhaps the most  devastating thing he had ever witnessed.  The boy he loved though t he wasn’t enough.  Thought he wasn’t perfect. Though t that Bucky was mad at him.

“Peter, look at me please.” Peter let his watery blue eyes meet the older  man’s . “I would never be mad at you for something like this. Okay?” Peter didn’t seem to believe him. “Can you tell me you know that please baby doll?” Bu ck y asked needing some sort of  confirmation .

Peter slowly nodded and Bucky seemed  satisfied . “The reason I was mad was because I wasn’t there to help you. I was mad at myself. And I was mad at those stupid bullies, but we can worry about them .” Bucky said as he pulled Peter to his chest in a hug. 

“Don’t h-hurt them p-please?” Peter said softly.

“ Who  love?”  Bucky questioned looking down at him. 

“Fla-” Peter stopped himself from saying his name. “The bullies.” He said instead. 

Bucky’s face darkened again. “I’m  gonna kill them Peter.” 

“No no no!” Peter said, scurrying out of the soldier's arms so he could better look him in the face. “You can’t d-do that! P-please Bucky?!” Peter said, almost panicked.

“It’s ok darlin’.”  Bucky tried to calm  him, but Peter pulled away. 

“No. I need you to tell me that you won’t hurt anyone.” Peter said.

“Yeah. Cause it’s not like they hurt you or anything.” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m serious James.” Peter said. Bucky was taken aback at this. Peter had never used his real name before. “Please don’t do  anything .” 

“But why love? He gave you a fucking black eye. How do you expect me not to do anything?” Bucky said,  getting a bit  angry .

“Because.” Peter huffed. 

“Because why?” Bucky smirked a bit. 

“Because I don’t want them to hurt anyone else! It’s better if it’s me  cause I can take it! I have super healing. Other people don’t.” Peter said, te ars falling again. “I’m taking care of the little guy.” 

“Oh Peter.” Bucky said pulling him into a hug again. “You remind me a lot of Steve. You hold the weight of the world on your shoulders when you shouldn’t have to. Just let me take some of that weight for once.” 

“Just don’t hurt them” He whimpered. 

Bucky th ought for a moment, his brain torn between defending the love of his life and following his wishes. “How about this.” He said finally. “ I won’t kill anyone this time, but the next time he hurts you physically or mentally, you call me. Right away. Understand?” 

“Y-yeah.” Peter said, wiping his nose with the  sleeve of his sweater. 

“Good.” Bucky said. 

“C-can we go t-to the mall?” Peter asked moment later. 

“Why?” Bucky chuckled at the complete change of subject. 

“I need a new backpack.” He laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! As always please let me know what you think!


	6. Peter? Are you with me?

“Got one on your 6 kid!” Steve called out to Peter who instantly whirled around and webbed up the alien that had been about to grab him.

“Thanks Mr. Rogers.” Peter replied into his com set.

“It’s Steve kid.” The super solider replied as he ran off, chasing another one of the creatures.

“Right. Sorry, my bad.” Peter mumbled.

The Avengers had been called in to stop yet another attack on New York City. Tony had agreed to let Peter fight in this one since all the Avengers were present and there would be plenty of heroes to look after his intern. Well, Peter was basically like his son at this point.

The group had been trying to contain the creature into a small area to make it easier to stop them. Peter had been webbing the aliens and pulling them towards 7th Ave where most of the heroes were. He had been pretty successful thus far. Unfortunately, this good luck did not last. Peter turned to his left just in time to see a large dark creature disappearing behind a building.

“Shit” He muttered and began running after it. Despite being in the middle of a battle, Steve still managed to reprimand Peter with a simple, “Language.”

Peter turned the corner where he saw the creature go only to see its feet disappearing around yet another corner into an alley.

Peter chased it through dark and wet alleyways for several minutes, eventually beginning to run out of breath. He was so focused on catching the thing that he didn’t realize how far he was getting from the rest of his team.

“Gotcha!!” Peter yelled as he managed to climb up a wall and land in front of the dark alien before webbing him up. The thing cried out as it was entrapped.

“Not so fast now are ya?” Peter laughed. His laughter soon stopped as he heard a loud growl from behind him. The teen slowly turned around and saw about 8 or 9 sets or menacing yellow eyes.

Shit.

\--

Bucky had been hesitant to let Peter be in the battle. Realistically he knew he wouldn’t have a say because, as far as the Avengers knew, he and Peter were hardly even friends. Acquaintances at best.

He and Peter talked just before the fight and Bucky had told him to be careful and ask for help if he needed it. Peter just waved him off, saying that he knew all this, and he would be careful.

Bucky was still worried. Peter may be smart and have super abilities, but he was still young and didn’t have as much experience as the rest. That along with the fact that he was Bucky’s entire world made Bucky want to tell him to stay in the tower and watch Star Wars or something while the rest of them handled it but Peter, of course, had rejected the idea.

Through out the battle, Bucky had stayed close to the teen, working on controlling the perimeter and keeping the monsters inside and contained. His choice to stay on guard duty had surprised everyone. Bucky was usually at the center of the action. Oh well. He could deal with their questions later. All that mattered now was keeping Peter safe.

The solider watched proudly as Peter managed to hold his own through the fight. He was fast and strong and had not only kept the aliens in their perimeter but taken down a few as well. Bucky shot him a small smile as the boy managed to web up a particularly big one.

He was forced to look away moments later when a smashed car nearly hit him. Bucky turned to the creature that had thrown it and got to work.

The fight was now winding down, and the ex-assassin finally had a chance to catch his breath. All he wanted to do was go back to the tower and watch some stupid movie with Peter. He knew realistically they would be busy doing damage control and helping the city be reapired but he could still dream of spending time with his boyfriend.

Speaking of the spiderling, Bucky hadn’t seen the teen in a while. He looked around him and frowned when his eyes didn’t meet Peter’s beautiful dark ones.

“Peter? You with me?” Bucky spoke into his com. He was met with silence.

“You lose the kid ice man?” Tony spoke from somewhere else, his seeming unworried.

“I don’t see him anywhere” Bucky tried to hide the fear in his voice. If he lost Peter, he didn’t even know what he would do.

“Relax Banana Buchanan.” Tony said, laughing at his own joke. “I’ll check his location.” There was silence for a moment. “He is on 3rd Ave and Pine. He was probably following a lost puppy of something. Go make sure he’s okay though yeah?” Tony said.

Bucky was already running towards the location before Tony had requested that he do so. He knew it was probably nothing but there was always a chance the kid was in trouble.

The solider turned the corner and felt his heart stop. Peter was on the ground, close to unconsciousness, taking hit after hit from about 9 of the aliens. They sick creatures seemed to be enjoying it. Like they like torturing the boy.

“Hey!” Bucky yelled drawing their attention to him. Before the first beast could even attack, Bucky had flipped his knife and stabbed the monster in the heart. They others tried to take him down as well but their were no match for an angry Bucky Barnes.

Once all 9 were laying in their own blood, Bucky rushed to Peter. His body was covered in forming bruised and gashes. Bucky wasn’t gonna lie, the kid looked bad.

“Peter? Love? Are you with me?” Bucky said, frantically kneeling next to the boy and shaking him frantically. He pulled the mask off Peter’s face. “I need a medical team over here! Now!” Bucky said into his com.

He ignored the questions of a now frantic Tony Stark in favor of taking to Peter.

“Come one darlin. Please say something?” Bucky said, he needed some sort of sign that the spiderling was alive.

Peter let out a groan and slowly opened his eyes. Bucky let out a sign of relief when he finally got to see those big brown eyes again.

“I-I’m…” Peter started to say but trailed away.

“What? You’re what Pete”

“Hungry.” Peter mumbled out eventually.

Bucky just stared at the kid in his arms and chuckled. The boy had almost died, and he was talking about how hungry he was? God. Peter was going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! I was wondering if anyone was interested in being a beta for this story and maybe some others. LMK in the comments if you are interested!! Also LMK what you think!!!


	7. What's on your mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was beta-ed by Notwhatyouthink

“What’s on your mind darlin'?” Bucky said as he and Peter made their daily walk home from Midtown. Bucky had a strap of Peter’s  backpack hanging from one arm and had the other  wrapped around Peter’s waist . 

“Hmm?” Peter said,  snapping out of his train of thought. 

“I asked you what was on your mind,” Bucky said, glancing down to meet Peter’s eyes for a moment. 

“I was just thinking,” he said. 

“About?” Bucky  pried further. 

“School and stuff.” 

Bucky stopped suddenly and turned to face the teen, eyes darkening. “Are those kids beating up on you again? I swear I’ll-” 

Peter cut the taller man off before he could finish his threat, “No! No. It’s something else.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s not the 40’s anymore James. I’m not some stupid damsel in distress.” Peter said walking ahead, leaving Bucky to catch up. 

“Hey. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you,” Bucky said, gruffly. He was still getting used to all the apologies and the lovey-dovey language. Sometimes it was hard transitioning from the cold assassin to the caring boyfriend.

Peter let out a sigh. “ No, I’m sorry. That was mean. I’m just  frustrated .”

“About what?” Bucky questioned, taking Peter’s hand in his metal one. 

“Well,” He started, “It’s nothing important.” 

“If it’s bothering you then it is important,” Bucky  interrupted . 

“It’s just.” He sighed again. “Everyone is talking about prom next week. And it’s not that I want to go or  anything I just don’t wan t to not go. Does that make  sense ? But I also don’t want to go with anyone but  you, but I obviously can’t bring you and I just don’t know what to think. I don’t want to go without  you, but I can’t bring you and I just don’t want to miss out.” Peter  rambled on until he came to an ab rupt finish. He turned to face Bucky  again . “Sorry.” He  mumbled . 

“Don’t apologize,” Bucky said, cupping a hand on Peter’s cheek and gently  bringing his face up to meet his eyes. “If  anything, _I'm_ sorry. If you really want to go to the  dance, you should  go. Don’t worry about me. You shouldn’t miss out on something just because  I’m older or we can’t tell anyone we are together.” 

“I know I just-” 

“Peter,” Bucky said, stroking his cheek . “You should go. Go with Ted or whatever his name is.” 

“Ned,” Peter  mumbled . 

“Yeah, whatever. Go with your friends. It’ll be fun.”

“Everyone else will ha ve a date. I don’t want to date anyone else.” Peter said, eyes beginning to fill with tears. 

Bucky pulled him into a hug. “I know darlin'. I’m not saying you _have to go_ , b ut you will  probably  regret it if you don’t. And I will feel guilty if I am  the reason you don’t go.” They pulled away and the older man wiped Peter’s tears away.  “And if you want to find a date, I’m sure there are hundreds of boys who would go with  you. And you don’t have to go romantically. Just go as friends.” 

Peter  giggled. “ There aren’t ‘ hundreds’ of guys after me.” He wiped his tears away with the  sleeve of his too-big sweater. 

“Good.  Cause I’d have to fight them all off,” Bucky said,  wrapping his arm around Peter again and they began walking to the tower again. 

\---

Later that night, Peter, Bucky, and Tony were all in the inventor’s lab. Tony was fixing some glitches in the  assassin's arm while Peter was pretending to work on a new web formula .  In reality , he was sneaking glances at his shirtless boyfriend sitting on one of Tony’s  worktables .

Friday spoke up suddenly, “Mr. Alex is requesting  access to the lab boss.” 

Tony glanced over to Peter who  shrugged . The intern wasn’t allowed in Tony’s personal  workspace often. He and Peter may be  friends, but the teen was still a low-level intern.  Peter wondered why he was asking to come into the space now? 

The  spiderling had tried to distance himself from the other teen ever since he and Bucky had their big fight.  Sure, Peter only had eyes for Bucky but if it made his  boyfriend mor e comfortable, he would avoid the other teen.

“Let him in, Fri,” Tony said before turning to Peter. “ Looks like your boyfriend is coming to visit, kid,” He joked. 

Peter  accidentally knocked over his  model web shooter and nearly fell off his chair at this. “He’s not my boyfriend,” The teen  murmured, voice s lightly higher than usual. 

“Calm down, Pete,” Tony chuckled. “We can all see you have the hots for each other. You can see the hearts in that boy’s eyes. Back me up, Buchanan.” The inventor turned to the ex-assassin who looked like he might be ready to kill again.

“Yeah. Sure,” He said, turning to stare at the ceiling. 

“Even ice man sees it! You both just need to-” Tony cut himself off as  Alex walked through the door. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” Alex greeted his boss before walking over to Peter, completely ignoring Bucky. “What’s up Peter?” 

“ Um... Not much,” He said, face getting flushed and nervous, not because he liked Alex in that way, but  because he could feel Bucky’s eyes fixed on him.

“So, I was thinking we should go to prom together.” He said, using his arms to push himself up so he was sitting on Peter’s worktable (a place where Bucky usually sat).

“oh... um... I’m not...I have to work!” Peter  stuttered a bit before finally coming up with an excuse to decline. 

“Nope. You’ve got that night off,” Tony chimed in, watching the exchanged before him with an amused look on his face. 

“Oh... I...” Peter faltered again . He looked over at  Bucky who was yet again looking at the  ceiling . The older man gave a slight nod of  encouragement , so small than anyone but Peter would have missed it. 

Peter took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go with you.” 

Alex gave him a look that was somewhere between a smile and a smirk . “Great. I’ll pick you up at 5. Let me know what color you are going to wear,” The teen called out before exiting the lab leaving at laughing  Tony, a nervous Peter, and a jealous Bucky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever!! LMK what you think!!


	8. “Fuck”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was beta-ed by Notwhatyouthink

“I don’t want to go. I’m gonna cancel.” Peter panicked as he frantically paced around his room the night of the dance.  
  
“Calm down, darlin’,” Bucky said, getting up from where he had been sitting on Peter’s bed. He walked over to his boyfriend and un-did the sloppy knot the teen had made of his tie and began re-doing it himself. “It’s gonna be okay. You will have fun,” he said, trying to convince both Peter and himself.  
  
“I wish I could go with you,” Peter pouted.  
  
“I know,” Bucky said as he pulled the tie tight and proceeded to straighten out the younger’s jacket, “but I promise I’ll take you dancing one day.”  
  
“That sounds nice.” Peter smiled.  
  
“You would have loved the 40’s,” Bucky said. He pulled Peter into a hug, which the teen eagerly returned. “We would go dancing. And the music was amazing. Makes you forget everything else that’s wrong with the world.”  
  
Peter hummed in reply, letting Bucky rock him back and forth in their embrace.  
  
They broke apart when FRIDAY’s voice spoke up. “Mr. Parker, Mr. Alex is here,” The AI said.  
  
Peter sighed.  
  
“Hey,” Bucky said, cupping a hand under the other boy’s chin, “Have fun, ya hear? I don’t want you moping around all night. You deserve a night out.”  
  
“Okay, Okay,” Peter sighed. Bucky kissed him one last time before allowing the teen to go down the stairs. Bucky waited in the bedroom for a few minutes before following Peter down the stairs, as not to be suspicious. When he reached the living room, he saw Peter and Alex standing in front of the dire place, Alex, with his arm tightly around Peter’s waist. Stark, as well as Steve for some reason, were fawning over them and taking pictures.  
  
“Okay, one more. Both of you turn to the side, Alex put your arms around him,” Tony said as he repositioned them.  
  
“Perfect!” Steve said snapping away at the camera.  
  
Bucky had to hold back a growl as Alex held Peter tightly to his chest. ‘Calm down’ Bucky said to himself. ‘Be calm for Peter. Do it for Peter.’  
  
“Alright, have fun you two!” Tony said as the group walked towards the door.  
  
“Don’t stay out too late,” Steve said. He had taken the position as a father figure to Peter just like Tony had.  
  
“We won’t. I’ll take good care of him.” Alex said, taking Peter’s hand.  
  
“How about you, Bucky? Any advice for the love birds?” Tony joked.  
  
“Hurt him, and I’ll kill you,” Bucky said, eyes cold.  
  
“Okay.” Alex laughed, taking the soldier's warning as a joke, but Peter saw the truth in his words. He offered the other man a smile.  
  
“Ready to go?” Alex said, turning to Peter.  
  
“Y-yeah.” He said softly.  
  
Alex smiled at him and led the shorter teen out the door.  
  
“Use protection!” Tony called after them. He let out a laugh.  
  
Bucky didn’t laugh.  
  
\--  
  
Bucky had been training in the gym for the last hour. He had broken several punching bags already and had shot four different dummies until they were practically dust. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Peter and Alex were doing. They had probably already finished dinner at this point and were on the way to the dance.  
  
What kind of car did Alex drive? It probably wasn’t as cool as Bucky’s motorcycle.  
  
Fuck! He thought as he knocked down one last bag. He couldn’t stay around here. He needed to get some air. He needed to not be here.  
  
Bucky grabbed his leather jacket and threw it over his sweaty white tank top. Before he knew it he was flying down the road on his bike. He didn’t know where he was going but apparently, his hands had plans of their own as they steered their way to Midtown high.  
  
He couldn’t go in. He was already the crazy soldier. He didn’t want to be the crazy boyfriend too. Luckily (or unluckily) he didn’t have to go into the school gym to see Peter. He and Alex made their way to the shadowed ally near Bucky. The older man managed to hide in the darkness.  
  
“Come on Pete,” Alex said, putting a hand on Peter’s cheek.  
  
“I kinda j-just want to stay at the dance,” Peter mumbled, looking down at his new shiny shoes that Mr. Stark had insisted he wears.  
  
“This will be so much more fun.” The taller teen said as he got closer to Peter, beginning to back him against the brick wall.  
  
“I-I can’t,” Peter said. He gasped as he felt Alex’s hand cup his ass. “S-stop.” He said.  
  
“Relax. Let this happen,” Alex said as he placed his lips on Peter’s.  
  
They didn’t stay connected for too long. Bucky emerged from the dark and had Alex on the gravel ground within less than a second.  
  
The ex-assassin only saw red, first in his eyes, then on the face of the fucking bastard who had touched what was his. He did to the man what he had done to the punching bags an hour before.  
  
He only pulled away when he heard loud sobs coming from behind him. He turned to see Peter, frozen against the wall where he had been before, tears rolling down his face.  
  
Bucky stood, giving Alex one last kick before walking over to Peter. “Let’s go home,” He said. He tried to put an arm around the younger, but Peter scrambled away from him.  
  
“What-” Bucky started, but before he could finish, Peter quickly crawled up the wall and disappeared from sight.  
  
“Fuck.” Bucky sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Lmk what you all think!!


End file.
